Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and an image processing method, and in particular relates to an image processing technique using distance information of a subject.
Description of the Related Art
In recent years, image capture apparatuses that can obtain distance information (also referred to as depth information) of individual subjects that exist in a captured scene are known (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2010-177741). In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2010-177741, by using distance information of individual subjects to present a bird's-eye map that indicates the positional relation, in the depth direction, of the subjects in a scene as well as a current focus distance, a photographer can easily understand which subject is currently in focus.
However, conventionally, distance information of a subject is exclusively used for image processing that is performed by an apparatus during shooting, and use by a user was not envisioned. For example, a method for allowing the user to easily perform image processing using distance information of a subject in an image processing application for captured images has not been suggested.